Here is an interesting video from The New York Times that takes a look at three apps: two educational about water usage and its cost, Drip Detective and Dropcountr, and one, Vizsafe, that allows you to upload pictures or videos of water-use offenders without self incrimination.

While Drip Detective might sound a bit 1984 in 2015, our drought is extremely serious and people who waste water – by any means – need to be made aware that they are part of a problem that faces us all. And their actions, or lack thereof, have consequences and a little embarsament is a small price to pay for the waste of thousands of gallons of water.

Do you want to know: What to plant? Where to plant it? How to plant it? How deep to plant it? How much to water it? What to feed it? How much sun it needs? and What critters will like to eat it? Then, The University of California Cooperative Extension for Los Angeles County is a wonderful resource for almost anything having to do with gardening.

What follows is a wealth of information that flows from the UC system, including listings of their websites, divisions, publications, research papers etc. So, you might want to bookmark this for future reference. Take a look, try out the links and see how much valuable gardening information is available right here at your fingertips.

And if I can be of any assistance in answering your gardening or landscaping questions, please email me at eknoppel@garden-of-eva.com.

While it may feel like spring and look that way as well – given how full the garden outlets are with plants aching to be planted, you still have time to prune and plant bare-root roses, berry bushes and some ornamental trees. It’s best not to wait till March, particularly in the desert areas such as Blythe, Anza Borrego, Canebrake and the hot Central Coast as well as Fresno and Bakersfield.

Pruning

Now is the time to prune dormant trees and shrubs that will bloom in the summer and fall. These include roses, berries and grapes — and make sure and do it before they begin to bud.

In pruning roses, take out all of the dead canes and any that look diseased. Take a look at the rose’s shape and consider removing crossing canes and particularly those canes that have come out below the graft union. It’s also a wise idea to prune mature bushes down to 18 to 20 inches.

Bareroot Planting

Bareroog planting can provide you with a much larger variety of plants than what is usually available at you local garden center. There are any number of on-line nurseries that can ship bareroot specimens directly to you. Unfortunately, you’ll need to see what’s currently available (most people order months in advance) and how long it will take for the shipment to reach you. But a Google search would be well worth the time just to see what is currently in the market place and what extraordinary specimens you may have missed!

Planting bareroot varieties is relatively simple. Dig your hole at least half a foot wider than the plant and deeper than the roots. You then need to spread the roots apart and fill the hole with a combination of the existing soil and soil that recommended for that particular plant. Water well to make sure all of the air pockets are filled, which may also require additional dirt. Once planted you don’t want the plan(s)to dry out, neither do you want to overwater them so that their roots rot.

A successful gardener is someone who plants well and tends with love and dedication.

One of the advantages of Southern California over the North and the East, is that our mild winters make it possible to plant and grow year-round. Fall is not only a time for garden maintenance and preparation of the soil for spring planting; it is the time to plant for winter and early spring harvests and blooms.

Clients have asked about adding color to their gardens, patios and balconies, so here are a list of 17 winter-blooming plants that offer a range of colors and structure that should do the trick.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Daisy-like calendula provides easy color from late fall through spring in mild-winter climates, and are long lasting in a vase. Choose classic orange and bright yellow, or opt for subtler shades of apricot, cream, and soft yellow.

Branching plants are 1 to 2 feet high and 1 to 1½ feet wide and look great as masses of color or in a container.

Calendula plants take full sun and moderate water. They will tolerate many soils as long as they have good drainage. Remove the spent flowers to prolong bloom.

Candytuft (Iberis)

Candytuft plants grow 8 to 12 inches high and wide; their narrow, shiny dark green leaves look great all year.

Pure white flower clusters are carried on stems long enough to cut for bouquets. Choose ‘Alexander’s White’ (pictured), ‘Autumnale’, or ‘Autumn Snow; they bloom in spring and again in fall.

Plants thrive in full sun or part shade and regular water. Candytuft needs well-drained soil and should be sheared ightly after bloom to stimulate new growth.

There’s nothing more frustrating than spending time, energy and money putting in a garden, particularly a vegetable garden, only to have it disappear down the gullet (or whatever they have) of your friendly garden slug. But slugs are just one of a whole host of pests that can silently and efficiently decimate your garden, because nothing tastes better than a free lunch!

If you’re like me and would prefer not using toxic chemicals on my flowers, or particularly on the vegitables I intend my family to eat, here are three natural remedies that can eliminate these pesky pests.

What You Need

Natural Insecticidal Soap Spray

This is by far the spray I reach for most often. It’s easy to make and keep on hand, and should take care of most of those annoying common pests such as aphids, mites, white flies, thrips, and mealy bugs. It kills them by attacking them at the skin, suffocating and therefore eliminating them. I like to add a few drops of orange or lemon essential oil, which is in itself a natural insecticide, especially effective against ants and scale, and it also helps the the spray stick to your plants.

1 1/2 tablespoons of liquid soap
1 quart of water
A couple drops of orange or lemon essential oil

Use a biodegradable, liquid soap (such as Murphy’s oil soap, castile soap or Ivory), to make the mixture. Add water and essential oil to the spray bottle and shake. Spray your plant thoroughly, making sure you cover the underside of the leaves as well.

All-Purpose Garlic Chili Spray

Pepper and garlic are both natural insect repellents and will help to repel Japanese Beetles, borers, leafhoppers and slugs. Garlic also deters larger pest like deer and rabbit.

Allow garlic and chili powder to steep overnight. Strain and pour into a spray bottle. Add Natural Insecticidal Soap Spray. Should keep for a couple weeks.

Baking Soda Spray

This spray is great for treating plants with fungal diseases. There is nothing quite as frustrating as discovering your plant has an unsightly case of mildew, a type of fungal disease. Suddenly your beautiful green cucumber and squash leaves are replaced by patches of grayish-white blotches.

Add baking soda and oil to a cup of warm water until it dissolves. Mix in the rest of the water. Before attempting to spray and treat your plant, remove the most severely damaged leaves first. Then spray your solution, repeating every few days until it disappears. This mixture is best made and used immediately.

Additional Notes: It’s best to spray your plants in the morning, before the sun is too hot or you run the risk of burning the leaves of your plant. And while these spray are non-toxic and less harmful than commercial pesticides, they will kill beneficial bugs along with the harmful ones. I recommend using these sprays sparingly, only treating the infected plants.

Project Objective

The objective of this landscape design project was to take a small, unattractive 50s backyard and make it more attractive and functional. This included updating it to the 21st century with a living area, dining area and barbecue, but also using scale and imagination to make it appear larger than it actually is.

Work Done

We began expanding the existing space by altering the shape of the low brick wall to provide more space and to raise it to chair height, providing additional seating. Old trees and unattractive shrubs were removed and replaced with plant material that reflected the color scheme (selected to accent the gray house) of white, green and burgundy.

The water feature was enlarged with more stone to give a more natural look and enhanced with a larger pump to increase its water flow. The plants surrounding it were replaced with ones that helped focus the eye and make it appear natural to the site.

A retaining wall was installed to account for difference in elevation between the neighbors’ property and my client’s and the dilapidated wooden fence was replaced with tongue and grove fencing, painted to match the house.

As a follow up to my previous blog/newsletter of California Native Plants, I just received this notification and I though anyone interested either in knowing more about them, or perhaps purchasing some, might be interested.

FALL PLANT SALE NATIVE NEWS

Dear Friend of TPF: Our 2014 Fall Plant Sale is just around the corner! It’s our biggest sale of the year, offering the region’s largest and most interesting selection of California native plants, seed and bulbs — with expert advice from TPF staff and volunteers.

Member Days: Friday-Saturday, October 10-11, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Members 15% plants, seed and bulbs
Not yet a member? Join at the door!Discounts to All: Friday-Saturday, October 17-18, 8:30.a.m.-4:30.p.m. Members 15% off plants, seed and bulbs Non-members 10% off plants, seed and bulbs

All four sale days: TPF members receive 15% off plants Friday & Saturday, October 17-18 ONLY: Non-members 10% off plants

Before you shop, check our online nursery inventory, updated every Thursday. It lists the plants by botanical and common name, with sizes and prices for each. For information on individual plants, see our online Native Plant Database.

IN THE STORESeed

TPF offers more than 200 species of native plant seed — all discounted during our fall sale!

Ready for sowing now: cool-season grasses and colorful wild flowers for all areas of the garden.

Seed advice will be available during the sale. And don’t forget to pick up your horticultural sand — it helps to spread seed evenly and help protect seed from hungry birds!

All four sale days: TPF members receive 15% off seed Friday & Saturday, October 17-18 ONLY: Non-members 10% off seed

Bulbs
In early autumn, our store shelves showcase dozens of California native bulbs, including common and rare species and cultivars, many propagated here at TPF. In the right spots, these native treasures will naturalize in your garden and return year after year. They also grow well in containers. Shop early for best selection.

NEW this year: Colorful bulb mixes — in limited quantities.
Bulb advice will be available during the sale.

All four sale days: TPF members receive 15% off bulbs Friday & Saturday, October 17-18 ONLY: Non-members 10% off bulbs.

I have written a number of blogs and newsletters concerning California’s drought, sustainable landscape design and the use of drought tolerant plants, the ways one can save water and save money, as well as how to help protect your property against wildfires.

All of this material has now been collected, including available down-loadable PDFs, on my website page, Sustainable Green Landscape Design, which I encourage you to check out and download. However … I’ve never looked specifically at California Native Plants and what a wonderful natural resource they are, particularly as our current drought looks like it’s becoming a permanent reality.

The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flower and Native Plants, located in Sun Valley, is dedicated to preserving, propagating and promoting California native plants, seeds and wild flowers – native treasures that conserve water and other resources, provide habitat for wildlife, and add color and fragrance to the garden.

The Foundation operates a year-round, retail nursery – should you decided to go native – offering the region’s largest and most interesting selection of California native plants – hundreds of different species and cultivars, many of which are drought tolerant and low maintenance. Their Education Center and Outreach programs offer classes and field trips for adults and children. You can easily spend a day there learning what California natives has to offer.

While I’m not normally asked about the toxicity of the plants that I add to a client’s landscape, this question did come up recently regarding the back yard I was re-designing. The owner wanted to know if any of the plants that were being considered would be harmful to their two Springer Spaniels. I said that I didn’t believe so, but that I would check to see if any of them were considered toxic to animals.

The Sago Palm I knew to be quite toxic to dogs and I have always been judicious in its use. However, I wanted to be sure that nothing I selected or anything else on the property was toxic, so I checked with the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine website and here is what they had to say. Needless to say, none of these were used in the landscaping.

A surprisingly large number of common garden and household plants are toxic to pets, and reactions to toxicity range from mild to life-threatening. Pets, like young children, explore the world with their senses, and they are therefore vulnerable to accidental poisoning. Many of these plants make wonderful additions to the garden, but it is important to know which plants are toxic. If possible, avoid planting these where pets (or children) will have frequent unsupervised access to the plants.

The 12 plants listed below are responsible for the majority of calls to our Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) about possible plant poisoning. The list was compiled by Director of Pharmacy Dr. Valerie Wiebe. The toxicity of the plants below varies according to the species of animal exposed (cat, dog, bird, etc.), the amount of the plant that was ingested, and the specific variety or species of the plant.

If you suspect your pet has ingested any of the plants below, call your veterinarian immediately. Do not wait to see if symptoms appear, because in some cases of poisoning, by the time symptoms appear it is too late to save the animal.

Day Lillies

Lilies (Lilium, all spp.): Ingesting any part of the plant can cause complete kidney failure in 36-72 hours. First symptoms appear in a few hours and may include appetite suppression, lethargy, vomiting. Cats are especially sensitive to lily poisoning, so be very careful to keep your cats away from liliies of any kind, including the Amaryllis, Easter lilies, and Stargazer lilies so often found in homes around the holidays.

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis): Ingesting any part of the plant can cause cardiac dysrhythmias, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, weakness, and even death. (Photo courtesy of freebigpictures.com web site).

Anemone (Anenome and Pulsatilla, family Ranunculaceae): Irritating to the mucus membranes, and can cause blisters, hemorrhagic gastritis, shock, convulsions, and death. (Photo is Japanese Anemone).

Amaryllis (family Amaryllidaceaea, incl. Hippeastrum spp.) All species, including Belladonna Lily, are toxic, and especially dangerous to cats. The bulbs are the toxic part of the plant. The “Amaryllis” commonly seen during the December holidays are Hippeastrum species. Symptoms include vomiting, depression, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hyper-salivation, anorexia, tremors. (Photo courtesy of Ellen Zagory, UC Davis Arboretum).

Our California drought is not going away. In fact, given the current weather and worsening drought conditions, this fall will probably be the worst forest fire season in the state’s history. In addition, the state and local communities are significatly increasing regulations regarding the use of water for lawns and have added substantial fines for its misuse.

I came across this info graphic on ways to help your trees survive the drought. Even if you allow your grass to die or decided to replace it with drought-tollernat and native plants, your trees are not only a significant investment in money and time, they add substantial value of your property and provide a number of environmental contributions. Providing the correct amount of water and right nutrients can help trees and plants survive through severe droughts. If you would like to print this out and keep it handy to refer to, please Click Here